Catalytic heating method and apparatus



c. BERGER cA'rAL'f'rIc HEATING METHOD ANb APPARATUS lll W. M \M v 9 Patented July 29, 1924.

CHRISTIAN BERG-ER,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CATALYTIC amusement- 1) Ans ArrAnA'rUs.

Application med May 8,

To a-ZZ whom: it concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN BERGER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at, New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catalytic Heating Methods and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. v

This invention comprises novel heating means and method adapted for various practical uses, an example'being a small portable apparatus adapted to contain and burn a suitable fuel for purposes of cooking, or

warming things, or maintaining a degree of warmth in cases where a moderate tempera'turje is desirable, as in incubators, or

for sterilization; p 7

A specific illustration of the utility of this invention is in connection with the burning .ofvolatile fuels, for example the so-called solid alcohol, which, with this invention,

can be burned either in a normal manner,

with its hot flame, or by slow combustion to gives lower temperature for a greatly lengthened period of tune, n all of wh ch respectsthis invention is .believedto bethe first to accomplish the objects referred to.

A purpose of the present invention isto provide a simple and practical means for the slow combustion of a volatile fuel, solidified or fluid, so as to enable a moderateheat or. medium temperature to be obtained. Other and further objects and advantages of the. present inventionwill be elucidated in the following description ofone or more embodiments or will be apparent to those skilled in the art. p 7

.To the attainment of such objects and advantages the present invention consists in the novel apparatus and the novel features of combinatlon, arrangement, structure and method herein illustrated and described. 7 Inthe accompanying drawingsFig, is

a plan iew of adisk, mat .or pad constituting one of the elements of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a central cross section of the. element shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows the complete combination operative for certain practical purposes and embodying the element or mat of Figs. 1 -and2. Fig. 4 is a plan View of a. modified disk.

. p of hours.

.1922. Serial No. 559,201.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of thedisk shown in Fig. 4. r r i Fig. 6 is a cross section of a modified device for supporting the disk over the fuel container.

Fig: 7 is a partial plan view and partial section of the structure shown in 6.

Fig. 8 is a central section of a modifie form of catalytic element. 7

The fuel 10 is shown contained in a simple pan, cup or otherv open container 11, which may be protected by a suitable cover, not shown, to prevent loss by evaporation when not in use. 7 volatile liquid fuel could be employed in the container 11, but this invention enables the use of a solidified fuel such as the well known solid alcohol, which easily'vapor izable in use. Theordinary use of such a container and fuel involves the ignition of the fuel and its burning directly within the container, air of combustion entering the combustion space from the sides, above the container, and the resulting flames being applied to the cooking vessel 'orother obje'ct to be heated, which is held spaced suit ably above the container to permit these actions to continue. WVith ordinary commacial containers of such fuel the life of the heating operation is only a matter of minutes and no practical way has been devised For some purposes, a

formoderating the name, in consequence of which there is no regulation, and the burner can not be turned down as can be the burner of a gas cooking stove .lVith cookingand in other fields, above mentioned, it is frequently desirable toemploy a moderated heat or relatively low temperature for warming, or maintaining warma vessel or other object, to avoid the eifects of continued intense heat, and at the same time to v prolong the operation ,of the burner, with incidental saving of expense, for a period The present invention accomplishes these. results by enabling the heating operation to be modified so that, instead of securing a high temperature by the flame, a low heat can be obtained, withoutflame, but by a process of slow combustion carried on in the presence of a catalytic agent.

lViththis invention the catalytic agent, a11d" the'slow combustion referred to, are secured through any suitable disk, mat or padlQ, for example of theform shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The construction of the said catalytic element or pad may for eX- ample be as follows. It is shown as comprising a non-combustible disk, for example a sheet of asbestos of the thickness of cardboard, the same impregnated with a catalytic agent, for example metallic platinum in an extremely finely divided condition. The mat or pad 12 is shown as protected by a metallic binding rim 13 from which projects a handle 14: by which it can be appliec and removed, the handl of a form to minimize its own heating. To complete the description of the structure of the specific embodiment of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the metallic portion 13 is shown as having a downward flange 15 arranged to engage inside or outside of the upper edge of the container or pan 11 which holds the volatile fuel. Fig. 3 shows these parts in their proper rilative arrangement for the slow combustion operation, the fuel container being supported within a support or tripod 16, the upper extensions of which may be arranged to support a cooking vessel 17 or other object to be heated.

The embodiment above referred to may be described as a h ating apparatus using volatile fuel, and comprising a wide mouth vessel containing the volatile fuel, in combination with a catalytic element, located at the Vessel mouth, in position to radiate heat to the fuel and induce vaporization of the same, and adapted at the same time to bring about the flameless or slow combus tion of the vapor from such fuel. This intercombination of elements affords mutual cooperative interactions which, together with the steps of starting the operation, may be described as follows. Nith the container open the fuel may first be ignited with a match, giving a fiame, produced by the combining of the vapors with the oxygen of the air. This is the ordinary operation of the usual solid alcohol burner and gives a high degree of heat suitable for cooking, etc. To modify and reduce the temperature by the described slow burning action the user may proceed as follows. The catalytic member will be held in the flame for a few seconds until thoroughly heated. This pre-heating of the member or pad makes the catalytic action effective. The pad or disk is then set down upon the pan or container, for example in the position shown in Fig. 3. This closes the open mouth of the container or substantially closes it. Regular combustion ceases on account of lack of sufiicient air. In other words the catalytic member operates as an extinguisher of the flame. The air which has access to the member however is sufficient for the slow combustion. The vapor from the fuel meets or mixes with the air at the surface or within the body of the catalytic pad, now in a hot condition. The gases combine giving fiameless combustion and with a fair degree of heating, this being the principle of the catalytic action. The combustion taking place at the pad maintains it in hot condition and affords the heat for warming or the other purposes suggested. Maintaining the pad in heated condition continues the catalytic action indefinitely. The heated pad acts upon the fuel because it is opposed to or above the fuel so as to radiate heat toward the surface of the fuel body. This induces or enhances the vaporization of the fuel, thus indefinitely maintaining the supply of fuel vapor for the flameless combustion. In this manner the elements cooperate to maintain indefinitely the continuous formation and supply of vapor and its catalytic combustion. It will be noted that whatever species of volatile fuel is used the usual danger is eliminated of the spreading of flames or from the spilling of the fuel, since the heat is fiameless and not sufiicient to start accidental conflagrations.

The fuel 10 whether in a solid, colloidal or liquid condition is to be of a volatile nature, by which I mean easily vaporizable so that the existing heat in the described apparatus induces or enhances the formation of combustible vapor.

The catalytic element 12 preferably consists of a carrier such as asbestos, which is non-combustible, containing the catalytic material in finely divided condition. Platinized asbestos will serve the purpose, andthe same may be formed by dipping a sheet of asbestos in a dilute solution of chloroplatinic acid or other platinum compound and subjecting the same to heat. In Figs. 1 to 3 is shown platinized asbestos board but asbestos felt might be the carrier, or a plurality of sheets of asbestos paper arranged in the form of a disk or other shape of catalytic pad or mat. Such an embodiment is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 in which the pad 12 is shown as consisting of four or other plural number of thin platinized sheets of asbestos.

For the purpose of increasing combustion by supplying additional air, so that the combustion will take place throu hout the body of the catalytic element, an not rely upon the air from above, I have shown in Figs. 6 and 7, a modified apparatus in which the pad 12 is mounted in a binding device 13 having a downward flange 15 of greater depth than before and of larger diameter than the fuel container. Tongues 18 formed from this flange give support to the device upon the fuel con tainer. Air channels 19 are thus formed so thalt air can pass in beneath the catalytic pac.

A further modification of construction is shown in Fig. 8 in which the catalytic pad or element is not a fiat disk but is convexed upwardly, for example in the form of a cone '12" which may be strengthened by a metallic rim 13 For its protection the convex pad 12' may be covered with metallic gauze 20. One advantage of this form is the reduction of vaporization and interior vapor pressure. This is because the convex form radiates less heat toward the fuel body. At the same time the quantity of air is increased so that more thorough combustion and greater heat result. The reduction of pressure minimizes waste of fuel vapor.

It will thus be seen that I have described a novel heating apparatus and method for the fiameless combustion of vaporizable fuels embodying the principles and attaining the objects of the present invention. Since many matters of combination, arrangement, mode of operation and detail may be variously modified without departing from the underlying principles it is not intended to limit the invention to such matters except so far as specified in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of slow flameless combustion of a body of solid vaporizable fuel, consisting in inducing the vaporization of the fuel directly from the body of solid fuel by the radiant warmth of a catalytic element located in opposition and proximity to the body of fuel, and maintaining the heated condition and radiation of the catalytic element by the catalytic combustion therein of the vapor so induced.

2. The method of flameless combustion of a body of vaporizable fuel, consisting in inducing the vaporization of the fuel directly from the surface of the body of fuel by means of the radiant warmth of a catalytic element located in effective proximity to such surface, and maintaining the heated and radiating condition of the catalytic element by the catalytic combustion therein of the vapor so induced.

3. A heating apparatus using vaporizable fuel and comprising a wide mouth vessel containing the body of fuel in combination with a catalytic element located at the veswith a catalytic element accessible to the air and adapted to bring about flameless combustion of vapor from such fuel, and thereby maintainits own heat, and so arranged as directly to heat the surface of the solid fuel and thus induce the production of the vapor for such combustion.

5. Apparatus as in claim 3 and wherein the catalytic element is a thin pad arranged substantially to close the vessel mouth with free access to air at the outer side of the pad, whereby combustion proceeds within the body of the pad, and radiates directly to the fuel in the vessel.

6. Apparatus as in claim 3 and wherein the catalytic element is a pad adapted first to be held in the flame of the fuel for preheating, then to be applied to extinguish the flame and thereafter to induce vaporization while bringing about the slow combustion of the vapor.

7. Apparatus as -in claim 3 and wherein the catalytic element consists of a plurality of adjacent sheets of platinized asbestos paper, secured together.

8. A heating apparatus using vaporizable fuel and comprising a wide mouth vessel containing the fuel in combination with a catalytic pad located at the vessel mouth to radiate directly to the body of fuel, with means admitting air between the fuel and pad for the combustion of the induced vapor.

9. A heating apparatus as in claim 4: and wherein the catalytic element is a concave shaped member of sheet material.

10. A heating apparatus as in claim 3 and wherein the catalytic element is a dome shaped member with its concave side facing the body of fuel.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature hereto.

CHRISTIAN BERGER. 

